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Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Originally Posted by GermDawg

A merger would actually reduce Techs need to invest in a satellite campus; the LSUS campus is established and would be immediately functional as the Tech campus. The tuitions from students attending there would help fund operations/salaries etc, plus their would be less overhead as some support departments could be consolidated and reduced. This would allow more of the Shreveport students tuitions to be put into investment in the campus and retaining or growing the teaching staff.

I would still love to see this come to fruition even in the middle of the stubborn Shreveport folks. What you laid out could definitely make it a reality but I would want to see the actual numbers. The number of new alums added alone would be way worth it to me as growing our numbers quick as well as potential endowment giving would be a huge boost for TECH.

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Originally Posted by TYLERTECHSAS

I would still love to see this come to fruition even in the middle of the stubborn Shreveport folks. What you laid out could definitely make it a reality but I would want to see the actual numbers. The number of new alums added alone would be way worth it to me as growing our numbers quick as well as potential endowment giving would be a huge boost for TECH.

It's actually not Shreveport folks that are against it, mainly opposition is from F. King Alexander the LSU system president in Baton Rouge. The LSUS president even made comments that he didn't oppose it until F. King got hired and told him to get in line. He's the one that came up with the "Commitment Plan" and sold it to the lege/community, when it wasn't worth the paper it was written on.

"We may not be the biggest, but wait till you taste our sausage!"Horndawgs Tailgating Krewe - Founding Member

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Originally Posted by GermDawg

It's actually not Shreveport folks that are against it, mainly opposition is from F. King Alexander the LSU system president in Baton Rouge. The LSUS president even made comments that he didn't oppose it until F. King got hired and told him to get in line. He's the one that came up with the "Commitment Plan" and sold it to the lege/community, when it wasn't worth the paper it was written on.

It was John Lombardi who came up with the LSU Shreveport Commitment Plan in 2013. Alexander didn't come to LSU until late 2013 or early 2014.

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Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

LSU Shreveport people that I know actually believe that LSUS is a higher rated academic institution than is LA Tech. They are delusional about what a satellite campus actually is. They will never support a merger with Tech. It will only happen if the state kills LSUS by failing to fund it properly, and if that's the case, why would we want to merge it into Tech. Let LSUS die.

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Originally Posted by brtransplant

LSU Shreveport people that I know actually believe that LSUS is a higher rated academic institution than is LA Tech. They are delusional about what a satellite campus actually is. They will never support a merger with Tech. It will only happen if the state kills LSUS by failing to fund it properly, and if that's the case, why would we want to merge it into Tech. Let LSUS die.

I totally agree with your statement about their denial. I DO think we should take it, if given the opportunity, though. That is how you save higher education in Louisiana. You merge universities with the most successful. Shut down almost all their administration and consolidate. This needs to happen to at least 6 universities in the state and that is just off the top of my head.

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Originally Posted by champion110

I totally agree with your statement about their denial. I DO think we should take it, if given the opportunity, though. That is how you save higher education in Louisiana. You merge universities with the most successful. Shut down almost all their administration and consolidate. This needs to happen to at least 6 universities in the state and that is just off the top of my head.

Agreed. Take LSUS while you can as the opportunity might never come around again in our lifetimes.

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Originally Posted by brtransplant

LSU Shreveport people that I know actually believe that LSUS is a higher rated academic institution than is LA Tech. They are delusional about what a satellite campus actually is. They will never support a merger with Tech. It will only happen if the state kills LSUS by failing to fund it properly, and if that's the case, why would we want to merge it into Tech. Let LSUS die.

Yes, the LSUS people like to say they went to LSU - I always ask them if they mean LSUS, and they start saying it is the same thing- laughable. The alumni here were calling everyone they could get to listen to keep it from happening. TECH doesn't need them and unless the education changes there, there is no reason for us to bail them out.

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Originally Posted by Cal&Ken

Yes, the LSUS people like to say they went to LSU - I always ask them if they mean LSUS, and they start saying it is the same thing- laughable. The alumni here were calling everyone they could get to listen to keep it from happening. TECH doesn't need them and unless the education changes there, there is no reason for us to bail them out.

Tech can't afford to bail anyone out as we're in survival mode ourselves right now. If LSU's board of regents doesn't think LSUS is worth funding, they should simply shut it down. The state can let the City of Shreveport make a trade school out of it. The same goes for SUS, LSUA. LSUE, and SUNO. Tech will probably have to shutter its Shreveport operation. I don't think everyone here understands just how dire the situation is with our state government right now. We're broke and we just elected a governor that is hell bent on increasing welfare spending at the expense of roads and higher education. In the coming decade, Tech is going to have a very hard time maintaining the level of excellence we have become used to.

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

It's unfathomable to think Shreveport-Bossier might be without a 4-year public university, but that could happen. At least, for a while. Whatever happens, for bad or worse, it'll be a temporary condition. Eventually someone will get it right and S-B will be served by a 4-year university it can depend on.

I have mentioned before I was a member of a 5-person team that examined LSUS' image, standing in the world of higher ed. We composed a market analysis where we likened its strength to that of a convenient store, getting customers based solely on its location. That was 2002. The powers-that-be didn't like it at all. We were rebuffed and shown the door.

Two years later, in 2004, we got a call. They had gotten over their hissy-fit and asked us to help them put together a marketing plan to change things. Our plan was awesome.....if I do say so myself. They did implement some of our ideas, which helped to steady the ship at that time. But, they didn't go all-in. When things did improve, a little, they were like, okay, the crisis has past, back to our old ways. The school was getting better though. There were some steady, albeit painfully slow, changes being adopted, much to the chagrin of the faculty.

SIDENOTE: the biggest problem facing higher ed is tenure.

But the collapse of the economy beginning in 2008 made life difficult again. As you all know, the onslaught of obummer in 2009, and then, the way Louisiana chose to handle the wrecked economy, especially the decline in the O&G industry, started adding financial pressure to LSUS' attempted growth. That finally wrecked the effort....for good. One of the key guys, a marketing professor who was our liaison with LSUS, got frustrated and left for greener pastures. That was in 2011 and drove the final nail into the coffin.

Now.....who knows? I doubt LSUS will close, and I know a merger with any other school is a mega-longshot. The politics simply won't tolerate it.

Re: The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

Never going to convince them to merge with Tech. They think it is a step down b/c they think they are "merged" with LSU right now. I heard they tried to put a domesticated tabby cat in a cage at the center of campus but admin nixed it citing cost controls.